Summer..."vacation"...

Summer....

When I think of summer, it used to be a time of relaxation. But, for some reason this summer is filled to the hilt with things other than just relaxation...

Although, there are times to sit back and enjoy the heat that we are experiencing this year...

As I arrived home from a fast trip working on my parent's estate stuff, a note awaited from a new widow...I called her and she just broke down...."grief doesn't take summer off" or a "break" as I told her griefshare wasn't planned to start until fall...we talked for awhile and I listened for awhile and prayed, made arrangements to meet later....

No, grief doesn't take a vacation, or a break, or summer off...it hits anytime, anywhere, any place for no reason, or the simplest task..or for forgotten memories exposed to thought....it's the old house, or school, or the piano, of the planted tree, the street you walked, the graveyard, the missing conversations, the advise not there anymore, the holding hands and so much more ......

The fog of those months after the death of a loved one does lift to some sunny days at some point in time...we hear God whisper, feel His love, enfolds us even when we didn't know He was there all the time....He never takes a summer "vacation" or a break from us....He holds us tight and wipes our tears...although we may not acknowledge Him...He never forsakes us...even when we feel He has...we are held...gently....

Thank YOU for your gentle presence...help each of us, me not to take a "vacation", "break" from caring and showing Your love to those around, whose hearts are tender...hurting...

Ephesians 5:1-2 Ephesians 4:32a 5 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 

Be kind and compassionate to one another,.....

Psalm 68:19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,who daily bears our burdens. 

Galatians 6:2, 9-10 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. 

A piece of ground....

A piece of ground....

Several years ago, my father  found a piece of ground that he thought would be a good investment...not for himself but for college funds for his great grand children...he purchased it and worked it.  It was a piece of forest ground, covered with large trees. All of my children's and grand children's lives up to this point, have gone with grandpa and learned the value and the promise of this piece of ground..they have worked on it, learned about watering it, seeding it,  caring for it, picnicked there, heard stories about it, never harvesting it...

It was the same with my husband's father as well.  He gave each of his sons a piece of forest ground as well.  He cut wood there until the year he died, earning wages and exercising until he could do it no longer... That piece of ground paid college tuition for our children as they each learned how to drive a cat, move logs to piles and watch the log trucks hall them off to the mill...

Both  grandfathers were Tree farmers, educators.  Each competed for Tree Farmer of the year, each won locally, then one went to State and then to regionals...they loved tending to, caring for, educating, sharing their forests...with their grandchildren, teachers, anyone who would listen and wanted to learn about the resource that God had entrusted to them...no matter what time of year we would visit, there was always a trip  to the woods  to see if anything had changed, to see new plantings, to see bear sign and taste to cool waters at the spring.....they all watched the trees grow over the years...

It was no surprise,when this morning after writing this, that upon opening the local newspaper that there was an article about forestry scholarships.  My father was on the committee who chose the recipients at one time and gave to those funds to students who were majoring in forestry production. And there in the article was his name with student recipients...thank you again, dad for your faith, and foresight, both in your descendants and future forestry students...

My husband was they same way, only his were pieces of ground which yielded minerals.  We would tour the properties at various time through life..still the promise of future funds for inheritances...

Land based resources, trees, minerals...each was a steward of the talents that were only graced by their Creator...now those grandchildren and great children are seeing the results that their grandfathers and great grandfathers have handed down to them with college funds, values, ethics, love....that promise fulfilled ....

I handed over the final papers collected about the forest ground yesterday to the buyer of some of those educating trees...the end of one era and on to the next...a quiet monumental moment...one which neither grandfather saw but only dreamed about...

Hebrews 11:1-2, 13, 39-40 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 

This is what the ancients were commended for. 

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 

since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. 

No more walks in those woods, no more drinking from that cool spring...no more stories, or wood gathering ...no more riding in the decrepit little truck...no jokes and laughter, but so many memories of days gone by...I visited the gravesite and added new flowers, saying another goodbye until another time...thank you, dad...

Thank YOU for the faithful, the promises of the future, the visionaries , the descendants, and the ancestors...all who do their work diligently with Your promise of tomorrow ...stewards of Your creation.... 

Revisiting my parent's neighborhood ...life...

Revisiting my parent's neighborhood...life...

Yesterday morning I opened my motel door to the scents of childhood and growing up....the smell wafted into my memories of long ago and recently...

I am here to almost finishing my parent's estate papers...items I never imagined years ago when we moved here in my fourth grade year...

The smell of the river where we swam and camped nearby...

The Redwoods surrounding our home...

The ocean we watched...walked on the beach...harvested crabs...

The bench from which we watched the sunset from after my mother's passing and yet again after my dad's....

The church I grew up in and later celebrated my husband and my wedding....

The schools I attended....

The gatherings of grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles for birthday, holidays and picnics galore...

Hunting moonstones and picking raspberries at grandma's house....Or playing little women in her attic....

The myriad of times we visited, bringing children and later, grandchildren ...

How those years have flown...it seems like eons ago and yesterday all in one...

My cousin and I went to the cemetery to add new flowers to gravesites....a ritual we always did for birthdays, memorial days, or just when we had lots of garden flowers...we rarely bought flowers....cleaning up the sites a little...saying hello again...even though we know they aren't there, but just remembering and shedding a tear or four, for those who have gone before...her parent, mine, grandparents, aunts, uncles and even now those in our generation...remembering fun times and wishing we could talk those long gone, telling them of our lives now...and how they would have replied....loving us...

Going back "home", smelling scents of childhood, walking old neighborhoods, visiting graveyards....for me brings mostly good memories .... Love shown there, activities, people...aged and new...blessings I took for granted....and now long gone...to make way for new memories with new generations....taking time to "smell the scents" in the future...hoping they will look back as well to fun times, good memories, blessings...passed on and on...

Thank YOU for family, for scents of childhood...Your blessings abounding...walks in neighborhoods of memories....Your timelessness ....and ever present Presence.....

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11-12, 14-15 There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under the heavens: 

a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

 a time to weep and a time to laugh,a time to mourn and a time to dance, 

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 

a time to search and a time to give up,a time to keep and a time to throw away, 

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak, 

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace. 

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.

 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. 

God does it so that people will fear him. 

Whatever is has already been,and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account. 

Traveller or tourist....

Traveller or tourist.....

Traveller ; one who travels, especially to distant lands, thinks through what kind of experience they may want,..or thinks through, is grateful for the experience...not necessarily for pleasure... 

Tourist; one who makes a tour for pleasure or culture...One who visits a place or attends a social event out of curiosity, wanting to watch without commitment or involvement....

Recently, I was challenged with the question, " are you a traveller or a tourist?

I decided I was a combination of both.  I am curious, but I want to experience as much as possible when I am traveling or just living...I try to be thankful for each of the experiences along the way, even the difficult ones..and not all the experiences are pleasurable....as we march through life...

When my husband amd I would travel, we took the back roads as much as we could, avoiding the freeways, to see more of the country...or walk into the neighborhoods, rather than the main streets to see how people lived...we wanted to experience the real thing rather than just the tour guided part...we saw so much more than what the guide had pointed out...

We are all in a journey or pilgrimage while here on earth...we add various chapters to our travel journal...chapters on childhood, teen years, young adult lives, courtship, marriage, parenthood, empty nest, careers, grand parenting, aging and finally passing away.  Other chapters are added as well as we travel along...friendships, suffering , elation, joy, ....

God may or may not be added to each chapter in our log book of travels...that is our choice...even though He is there waiting to be added...he definitely helps in the journey as a companion, travel advisor, comforter, and so much else..in fact, He is the best guide we have if we let Him...

Thank YOU for the travels...guiding us into traveling well...if I let You...the guidebook, the travel log ....then many chapters You have filled ....help me praise You for each ones In The past, present and future....

Genesis 24:27a saying, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey..... 

Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 

Isaiah 35:8, 10 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way.The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. and those the Lord has rescued will return.They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads.Gladness and joy will overtake them,and sorrow and sighing will flee away. 

Going home....

Going home,

This morning, as we venture out on out last day of our tour, We will, Lord willing, end up at home.

As I was praying for travel safety, I was thinking about two friends who are facing terminal cancer and have a few more months here on this earthly journey...we are all facing those same days, even though we may not know how long or have been given a diagnosis or time...

That going home process may be short or lengthy, painless or painful... Only God knows that ....

I do know that it is painful for the families...we may laugh and praise during the process, but underneath we are crying...sorrowful for the coming loss..that anticipatory  grief...knowing the  coming days, months, years will be sorrowful and a new chapter for our lives...we are glad for those who have chosen to believe God's word and taken Christ as their Savior.  They have a safe home in which to go. Those of us who are left still face earthly tasks until we too go Home...

Watching someone slowly die, losing bodily functions is so very hard, going through the steps of dying, pulling away from earthly life piece by piece....going Home is both a blessing and a hardship...we hold their hands, read, talk, cry, comfort through the passage...wanting to hold fast, not wanting let go, but the process relentlessly moves on...whatever our wishes are...going Home...

That last kiss, that last goodby, that last word, that last touch...memorable...indelible in our minds for those of us left behind...as loved ones go Home....they are going where there are no more tears, pain...

We are left in the comforting arms of others, comforting words in The Word...again to comfort others...share grief...move forward until it is our turn to go Home...

Safe travels...safe journey ....going Home...

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 

Psalm 23:1-6 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through  the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before mein the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

Living majestically .....

Living majestically....

Psalm 48:2-3, 12-14 Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. 

God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress. 

Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts,view her citadels,that you may tell of themto the next generation. For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. 

I am ready to leave the national park of Zion...this morning..

these verses, from the book of the Psalms, even though written about Zion, the City of the Great King in Israel, fit the majesticness of this location...

Words don't describe, nor even do our feeble attempts at painting, or photography...

People try to put their description into evolution, how the water or wind eroded, etc...but it just is...majestic...

The various places were named by early white settlers, Zion, the Patriarchs, the White Throne, Angels Landing, and on and on...must have felt the same way...

God must love beauty...and He certainly made it here, as well as in Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon...as well as other other places in the 

World..

But, God loves  the beauty of the soul, the joy and peace that He gives, over the years in His people...the chiseling and chipping away to develop beauty in His people...I have met so many who have let Him work in their lives to develop that majesticness  of His making as well....and they are just as wonderful as these mountains of color displayed here in these parks...and much more lasting...these mountains will pass away in the blink of an eye while the saints will live on in a place prepared for them more majestic than these mountains and valleys...

Thank YOU for the opportunity to see these sights, but thank You as well, that you are working those around me and myself...making a thing of beauty of soul, everlasting ....majestic...

One in five million....

One in five million....

The statistics say that five million people visit the Grand Canyon each year... And now my grandson and I are in that number ...we watched the sunset last night...the colors changed with each minute of the setting of the sun...different exposures, different formations were highlighted ....

Each view is magnificent ...you turn one way and see the colors, another way and see another set, wait a minute and see something else...and the depth, the layers, the rocks, the trees and even the wildlife are awesome....and that isn't even a good enough word...

If this part of creation is so awesome how much more  awesome , greater....is the Creator... He delights to see all of this and to see us watch in wonderment  as well.... 

Thank YOU for the views ....the creation that You gave us each to enjoy, but mostly thank YOU for Yourself, the most beautiful....

Genesis 1:1, 9-13, 24-25, 31 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Great_Thou_Art_(hymn)

Youtube, "How great thou art"

Passing on truth...

Passing on truth....

The theme at church right now  is wisdom, using the book of Proverbs. Wisdom in decision making, friendships, finances, the workplace, the family...

As I have been working on estate stuff again, this study has been a good reminder of wise use on resources entrusted to our  family  being passed from one generation to another. So with that in mind, I have rewritten the notes taken in church and passed them on to my children as the distribution process is going on.  They are the same principles that have been taught all of their lives, nothing new..but just a refresher as my husband and I had so many times over the course of our married life.

It seemed good to write them down again. There is something to be said about repetition at various junctures of life decisions.  Heart thoughts....passing of of experiences...principles learned...things to avoid..things to garner and not repeat....or wise choices...taking time....not be driven by impulses or fear...needs versus wants and desires....and so on...

As the older generation, we are to pass along what we have learned, to mentor...our children still have their say, but at least we have passed what we have learned on...they will learn for their right and wrong decisions just as we did...

The generations before us, we and the generations to come have such a treasure trove in the written word of God...it speaks to life, how to live it, how to face it, how to carry on...and we as believers have a responsibility to pass on wisdom we have garnered from it as well as the Word itself ...making those disciples spoken of in Matthew 28.

Thank YOU for the opportunity to be a part of the long chain of people, passing through time, holding on to the links with the past and the future...and I thank You, that You are with each of us always...

Proverbs 4:20-27 My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words.

 Do not let them out of your sight,keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. 

Above all else, guard your heart,for everything you do flows from it. 

Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. 

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. 

Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. 

Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. 

 Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. 

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

A walk in the woods...

A walk in the woods...

Yesterday, I took a mile long walk in the woods from a campsite to the lodge at Diamond Lake, Oregon...it wound in and out of the woods, near the sparkling lake...a slight breeze kept the air pleasant...but the smell of the woods, the pines, the tiny wild strawberry plants blooming in profusion, the multitude of other wild flowers was so refreshing....it brought back so many memorable times we had camped as a family, both when i was child and later pre-children. and with children....such fun times...

It also brought back those bucket list items that my husband and I talked about of "when we retire... Let's do this"....another expectation dashed with the death of a spouse....or is it?  When one spouse passes away, we who are left have the chance to re-evaluate those bucket lists again and again..what do we who are left really want to do? What are we capable of doing? Do we want to do it on our own? Take a grandchild? Take a friend? Whatever ....

Then I opened this devotional this morning...and that was exactly how I felt walking in the woods-cocooned by God...I wasn't worrying, I just felt comforted by the smells, the experience, the memories...by Him...and all that He has for me and those around me...

Thank YOU for the walks in the woods, in life, the places You take me...the bucket lists of expectations that You allow or not...

Jesus Calling---June 7
I am all around you, like a cocoon of Light. My Presence with you is a promise, independent of your awareness of Me. Many things can block this awareness, but the major culprit is worry. My children tend to accept worry as an inescapable fact of life. However, worry is a form of unbelief; it is anathema to Me.
Who is in charge of your life? If it is you, then you have good reason to worry. But if it is I, then worry is both unnecessary and counterproductive. When you start to feel anxious about something, relinquish the situation to Me. Back off a bit, redirecting your focus to Me. I will either take care of the problem Myself or show you how to handle it. In this world you will have problems, but you need not lose sight of Me.
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? “Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it… But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”
—Luke 12:22–31
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
—John 16:33

Living water...

The shirt ....

There was a new woman where I workout yesterday.   Her shirt had the logo, "Living water, we all need it".  There had just been  a conference at one of the local churches, whose giving had gone to water projects around the world. So I asked her about her shirt...

It was a shirt given out by a local conservation group at a running event to bring awareness about the use and need for water...not what I expected...

"Living water, we all need it"...with a few slight changes, it could mean a totally different theme...."Living Water, we all need Him".. Or something like that..

-God created the water..

-in Noah's time,mr here was too much of it

-God provided it for the Israelites  in the desert ....

-the priest used it in worship...

-an axe head floated in it ...

-Elijah used it to cover the alter and was later provided with it to live...

-Naaman washed in it and was healed..

-David talked about it in his psalms ...

-Jesus was baptized in it,,

-Jesus turned it into fine wine...

-Jesus walked on it...

-Pilate washed his hands in it...

It is  talked about all through the Bible...we need it to survive ...physically, and spiritually....we need the water to replenish, refresh our bodies...

but we need Christ's promised living water to survive eternally..that is more vital than the earthly water for our bodies...

Thank YOU..for the the living water and the Living 

Water...both basic needs for body and soul...

  John 4:14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 

Genesis 7:17-20, 24 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 

The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 

They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 

The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits. 

The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days. 

 

Choices....

Choices.....

I opened this devotional this morning and just loved it...so well put...

We have so many  choices in our world over our lifetimes...God opens and closes doors all of our lives...there are times we just want what we want even though it may not be the best..when God wants to give us everything, the best...freely ...if we will just follow His leading...his timing...

We are so short sighted and He knows our yesterdays, today and tomorrows....He knows our hearts, our words before they are spoken...oh that  I would let Him lead all the time and see the paths that He has chosen...the doors He opens...the opportunities that He presents...the gifts only He bestows...the goodness He shows...

Thank YOU,  for Your choices...help me let you  lead, choose...rightly   In all things pertaining to life....

Letting God Choose   A daily devotion for June 5th   From your friends at RayStedman.org     Read: Genesis 13:5-18       The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever (Genesis 13:14-15).       Lot had lifted up his eyes and chosen for himself; now God says to the man of faith, living in his tent on the hillside, Abram, lift up your eyes. Where? Everywhere—to the north, the south, the east (the portion Lot chose), and the west. All the land is his! This land is consistently the symbol for us of the fullness of life in the Spirit of God; the life of joy, power, love, and glory; the life of refreshing ministry to others. Surely this is what Paul longs for us when he prays, [That you] may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God(Ephesians 3:18-19). This is all yours, if you are willing to let God make the choices of life for you. Lot will never know this! Nor will we, if we make our choices on the basis of what we see, relating to the materialistic, commercial standards of those about us. But if we are content to have what God gives us in life, all the fullness of Christ will be ours. Then God said to Abram, Not only do I give this land to you, but I will fill the land with your descendants. That is, I will make you fruitful beyond belief. I will make your life one of such blessing that after you are gone, there will be those who will stand up and say, 'I received my spiritual life through that man; there came to me strength for my journey through him; he has been a great blessing to my heart and life.' Then he said to Abram, Arise, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I will give it to you. The land is all that Christ will be to us through the eternal ages to come. But God is saying to us, Don't wait for it. You don't have to wait until you die to enjoy this. You can have it now if you will possess it in Christ. Walk through the land. Possess it—now! Wherever Abram wanted to move in that land, God opened the door for him. The whole land was his. The Canaanites and Perizzites had to move out when Abram came in. Thus, the Spirit of God declares to us in Romans 6:14: For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.Whenever you want to be free from the weakness, ruin, and power of sin, you can! The land lies open before you. Possess it! Everyone dwells in a world exactly like that of Abram and Lot, a world in which material values constantly clamor for us to make a choice. We have only so much time to invest, and we are pressured to try to grab the best for ourselves while we can. We can say with Lot, I want what the world can offer me now. I want the cities of the plain. Or we may wait with Abram, content with our tent and altar, enjoying the blessings of the land by faith now, and waiting for God's fulfillment of all His promises in that wonderful age yet to come. Father, give me grace to let You make these choices for me. Create in me a hunger for the fullness of the land. Make me discontented with my present possession of it, and lead me into the full knowledge of the love of Christ.       Life Application   Daily there are many choices to make. Are our choices leading us more & more into the full knowledge of the love of Christ? How does this equate with our contentment?   Related Message   For more on this portion of Scripture read the message: Letting God Choose or listen to the audio by clicking:   Listen to Ray     Previous Devotions for June Next       Want to Subscribe?   Subscribe / Unsubscribe to this Daily Devotion by Email   Copyright © 2014 Ray Stedman Ministries — This daily devotion is from the book The Power of His Presence: a year of devotions from the writings of Ray Stedman, compiled by Mark Mitchell. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice and a hyperlink to RayStedman.org if the copy is posted on the Internet.